Spectrum: Sustainable Streets with LED Lights, the Medical 'Selfie'

Solar Roadways created solar panels that can be used to pave roads and harness the power of the sun.
Solarroadways.com

You Can Get There from Here

Don’t be the pedestrian that gets hit by a bus while checking directions on a smartphone. India-based Lechal (which means “take me there” in Hindi), is making a shoe with insoles that connect with smartphones via Bluetooth, using vibrations to guide users to their destination. Originally designed to improve mobility for the visually impaired, the shoes can also help track fitness goals by measuring steps taken and calories burned. Source: Springwise

Ready for Roll-up?

Researchers at the University of Surrey in the UK, working with scientists from Philips, are getting closer to bringing “roll-up” technology to life. New breakthroughs in flexible electronics have come from working with a simple-circuit component that can be used in analog electronic designs, including display screens. The component, called a Source-Gated-Transistor, could potentially be built into additional items made of flexible plastics or textiles. Source: Science Daily

Sustainable Streets

What if the 4 million miles of highway in the U.S. could harness the power of the sun they sit under all day, and add that energy back into the power supply? Scott and Julie Brusaw of Idaho-based Solar Roadways are poised to find out. Their Federal Highway Administration-funded prototype has taken shape in the form of a 12-foot-by-36-foot parking lot, and the pair has since taken to Indiegogo to help bring the product to market. The durable hexagonal panels are heated to ease snow and ice removal, and feature LEDs that can display road markings.

Government Technology editor Noelle Knell has more than 15 years of writing and editing experience, covering public projects, transportation, business and technology. A California native, she has worked in both state and local government, and is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with majors in political science and American history. She can be reached via email and on Twitter.